Just Like Kindergarten
by BabyBallerina95
Summary: High School Musical with Twilight characters. Edward is Troy Bella is Gabriella
1. Kids' Party?

It was a magical New Year's Eve at a vacation resort in the mountains. Gleaming white snow covered the ground, stars sparkled in the crisp, clear air, and everyone was beginning to get in the party mood.

Everyone, that is, except Edward Masen, and his father, Anthony, who were still on the basketball court, playing one-on-one. They were covered with sweat, but they were having too much fun to stop.

Edward had the ball, and he was doing a good job of getting around his dad. After all, Edward was on the high school basketball team. Not only that, but he was the team captain. He had the smooth moves and explosive action of a real star.

But Anthony was more than just Edward's dad. Anthony was also the basketball team's coach. So Mr. Masen gave his son advice as they played.

"Keep working left, Edward," Mr. Masen said. "The guy guarding you in the Championship game won't expect that. You'll torch him."

Edward nodded, breathing hard. "By going left-" he said.

"He'll look middle, you take it downtown," his dad-and coach-explained.

Edward nodded again. "Like this?" He spun past his father, jumped, and sunk a reverse layup. The ball whistled cleanly through the basked. Nothing but net!

His father grinned. "Sweet."

Edward grinned back. Nothing felt better than playing basketball when you were in the groove!

They could have played all night, but just then Edward's mom walked into the gym. She was wearing a sequined party dress and clearly had things other than B-ball on her mind. "Boys? Hello?" she called. Once she got their attention, she went on. "Did we really fly all this way to play more basketball?"

Edward and his father glanced at each other slyly. They knew she didn't really want an answer to that question, but they gave her one anyway. In perfect unison, they shrugged and said, "Yeah."

Mrs. Masen gave an exasperated sigh. "It's the last night of vacation. The party…? Remember?"

Actually, they had both totally forgotten the big New Year's Eve party that the resort was holding, but they knew it wasn't wise to admit that.

"Oh, right, right," Mr. Masen said quickly. "New Year's Eve." He hesitated, then asked, with some fear, "Do we have to wear funny hats?"

"Absolutely," she said firmly. "And we're due in half an hour. Edward, they have a kids' party downstairs in the Freestyle Club."  
"Kids' party?" Edward protested. That made him sound like a toddler!

"Young adults," his mom quickly amended. "Now go shower up."

With heavy sighs, Edward and his father did as she said. As Edward took one last glance at the basketball court, he thought, _the championship game is in a couple of weeks! I should be practicing, not going to some stupid "kids' party"! Besides, how much _

_fun could hanging out with a bunch of kids possibly be…_

Meanwhile, in another part of the lodge, another mother was about to tear her daughter away from another fascinating activity. Bella Swan was comfortably curled up in an overstuffed hair in the sitting area. She was enjoying the peace and quiet- everyone else was already at the party- and had totally lost herself in a book called _If You Only_ _Knew Me_. It was the best book she had read since, we, since the last book she checked out of the library, and she couldn't wait to get to the end. However, she didn't even get to the next page. The book was lifted right out of her hands, and she looked up to see her mother standing over her.

"Bells, it's New Year's Eve," Mrs. Swan said. "Enough reading."

"But, Mom, I'm almost done and-" Bella protested.

Her mother just shook her head. "There's a teen party," she said firmly. "I've laid out your best dress. Go."

Bella eyed her mother's sparkly party dress and sighed. She knew she was defeated. She nodded, but asked. "Can I have my book back?" Her mother handed it over and Bella headed toward her room to change. As soon as she was out of her mom's sight, however, she opened the book and began reading as she walked. She might have to go to some stupid teen party, she thought, but she didn't plan to turn her brain off until the very last minute.

A short time later, Edward and Bella were in the teen club, feeling out of place. It was packed with kids wearing goofy party hats, blowing on noisemakers, and laughing.

_Everyone else seems to be having fun_, Edward thought glumly. He had showered and dressed in nice pants and a pressed shirt, but he just wished he was back on the basketball court.

In another part of the room, Bella sat by herself, wearing the dress her mom had laid out_. I could be back in my room, reading,_ Bella thought wistfully. _I was just getting to the good part, too._

Neither one of them was having any fun at all.


	2. My Showerhead Is Very Impressed

**Not mine.

* * *

**

Most of the kids in the room were watching a karaoke contest that was in full swing on a raised stage. As two teenagers finished their song, the emcee called out cheerfully, "How about that for a couple of snowboarders?!"

The audience applauded, and the emcee started looking around the room, trying to spot anyone else who was willing to sing karaoke to a room full of strangers. Spotlights swirled over the crowd and the music played even louder to get partygoers' adrenaline pumping.

"All right," the emcee said into his mike. "Let's see who is gonna rock the house next…"

That was the cue. The music stopped. The two spotlights picked out the next karaoke "volunteers."

One spotlight was on Edward.

The other was on Bella.

Both looked startled, and even a little terrified. They shook their heads, but it was no use. The emcee jumped into the crowd and pulled them up onto the stage.

Edward and Bella were mortified. Somehow – they weren't quite sure how it had happened – microphones were put into their hands. There they were, stuck. Onstage. The center of attention. And no way to escape.

Before either one of them could actually faint or throw up from fear, the music started.

_Well, here goes,_ Edward thought with resignation. _Might as well make the best of it…_

He started singing, softly and carefully. He could barely get the words out. It was all he could do to read the lyrics on the screen of the karaoke machine and try to stay on tune. He sang:

_"Livin' in my own world_

_Didn't understand_

_ That anything can happen_

_ When you take a chance"_

No one seemed to be paying attention to them. _That was a good thing_, Bella thought. And, after all, if this boy was willing to risk public humiliation, she might as well be a good sport and try to sing, too.

She opened her mouth and began singing. Although her voice was just above a whisper, it was sweet and pure. She sang:

_"I never believed in_

_ What I couldn't see_

_ I never opened my heart_

_ To all the possibilities"_

_All right_, she thought. _I can do this. It's not too terrible._

_Okay,_ Edward thought. _At least people aren't throwing things at us._

Still, they were too nervous to really belt out the song. They kept singing though, alternating the lines of the ballad.

Finally, they looked at each other, hoping for a little help from their partner in embarrassment. As they really saw each other, they both felt something they had never felt before.

Edward felt a spark of electricity run over his skin. Bella felt a warm glow flood through her body. They smiled and, for the first time, began singing to each other. They sang more loudly, more boldly, with more self-assurance.

Suddenly, everyone in the room started to notice: there was something special going on up on stage! Kids began crowding around the edge of the stage, listening and swaying to the music. And now Edward and Bella were starting to enjoy themselves. Their nervousness was forgotten as they smiled into each other's eyes.

Before long, they were dancing across the stage and back again, as confident as if they were performing at an arena. As they moved to the music, they never took their eyes off each other.

When the song was over, the crowd applauded and cheered. Edward and Bella smiled, breathless and a little stunned by what had just happened.

Edward leaned over and said, "I'm Edward."

Bella nodded. "Bella."

* * *

Neither one of them could stop smiling. Both of them felt and excited, fizzy feeling inside, as if the world had just become a lot more fun.

They were still giddy from the excitement of their impromptu performance, so they went for a walk outside in the cold, sparkling air.

"You have an amazing voice," Edward said. "You're a singer, right?"

Bella shrugged. "Just the church choir, is all." She smiled and admitted, "I tried to do a solo and nearly fainted."

"Why's that?" he asked, surprised.

She shook her head at the memory. "I took one look at all the people staring only at me, and the next thing I knew, I was staring at the ceiling. End of solo career."

"With the way you sang just now, that's hard to believe," he said sincerely.

"This is the first time I've done something like this," she answered.

Edward knew how she felt. "Completely," he agreed.

"You sound like you've done a lot of singing, too," she said.

"Oh, sure, lots," he said jokingly. "My showerhead is very impressed with me."

At that moment, everyone around them started chanting in unison: "Ten! Nine! Eight!…"

The New Year's Eve countdown had begun.

Edward and Bella glanced at each other, then just as quickly looked away.

"Seven! Six! Five! Four!…"

_This was a magical night_, Bella thought, wishing it would last longer.

_I can't believe I didn't want to come to this party!_ Edward thought. _This was awesome!_

"Three! Two! One!"

Everyone began cheering and blowing on their noisemakers. Fireworks burst in the sky in showers of red, gold, and blue. Everyone was celebrating – but Edward and Bella were suddenly feeling awkward.

_People kiss each other on New Year's Eve_, Edward thought. _Should I-?_

_It's a tradition to kiss when the clock strikes midnight,_ Bella thought. _Will he-?_

Neither one moved. After a few seconds, she smiled and said, "I guess I'd better go find my mom and wish her Happy New Year."

Edward nodded. The spell was broken, and he was a little relieved. "Me, too," he said. "I mean not your mom – my mom…and dad. I'll call you tomorrow:"

He pulled out his cell phone, quickly snapped a picture of her, then handed her the phone.

"Put your number in."

Bella grabbed her own phone and handed it to him. "You, too-"

They quickly switched phones and tapped in their numbers. Then Bella turned to leave. Edward stopped her.

"Singing with you was the most fun I've had this vacation," he said sincerely. "Where do you-"

Another series of fireworks exploded overhead, drowning out whatever he was saying.

Bella was already at the stairs. She waved back, smiling, then vanished. Edward stood absolutely still, gazing after her.

* * *

Outfits are on my profile.

~BabyBallerina95


	3. A Place of Learning, Not a Hockey Arena

**Not mine, but I wish it were.**

* * *

A week later, school had started again at Forks High School in Forks, Washington. It was the first morning back after winter vacation, and the scene was bedlam. Kids were piling out of buses, yelling at each other, showing off new clothes.

As Edward entered the courtyard, under the banner that read "Happy New Year, Spartans," other students gave him high fives, low fives, and side fives.

His friend and basketball teammate Jasper came up to him, yelling "Yo, doggie! Eddie, my hoops boy!"

Jasper had unruly blonde hair and a wired attitude to match. He was the loyal number two to Edward's number one and, before Edward could blink, he found that Jasper had drawn in all the other members of the team. They were happy to see him, excited to be back together, and totally keyed up about the championship game, now just a couple of weeks away.

"Hey, Jazz," Edward said. He waved at the other players. "Dudes…Happy New Year."

"Oh, yes, it will be a Happy Spartan New Year," Jasper shouted. "Because in two weeks we are going to the championships, with YOU leading us to infinity and beyond!"

Edward laughed, and the other members of the Spartan basketball team nodded and high-fived each other. Jasper was right. They were about to fulfill their destiny!

At that moment, Rosalie and Barrett Hale pushed their way through the basketball posse. Both of them tossed their hair as only copresidents of the Drama Club could.

As usually, Rosalie looked Barbie-doll perfect, with blown-out hair, full makeup, and fashionable clothes. Her brother, Barrett, looked just as hip.

Emmett, one of the basketball players, watched Rosalie as she haughtily pushed her way through the crowd. "Hey, the ice princess has returned from the North Pole," he muttered to his crew.

"Yeah, she probably spent the holidays the way she always does," Jasper said.

Jacob, another basketball player, willingly filled the role of straight man. "How's that?" he asked.

"Shopping for mirrors!" Jasper cracked. He howled like a wolf in appreciation of his own joke. His teammates joined in. Still howling, they walked by Alice Brandon, the president of the Chemistry Club, who was accompanied by a few of her brainiac friends.

Alice scornfully eyeballed the basketball players, then said to her friends, "Ah, behold the zoo animals heralding the new year. How tribal."

As her friends haughtily agreed, the bell rang and everybody hurried to their homerooms.

The crowds had thinned down somewhat as Principal Green walked down the hall, escorting a new student. It was a nervous Bella and her mother, who were trying to listen as the principal gave his sales pitch.

"We're consistently rated in the top ten academically in the state, and I think you'll also find this a wonderful community atmosphere," Principal Green said.

Bella tried to smile as she peeked in a window in a classroom door. The scene inside was total, first-day-back-at-school chaos. Her stomach flipped over and she cast an appealing look at her mother.

"Mom, my stomach-"

"-is always nervous on the first day at a new school," her mother finished reassuringly. "You'll do great, you always do. And I've made my company promise that I can't be transferred again until you graduate."

Bella smiled weakly. This was always the worst part, she reminded herself.

"Worry not, Isabella," Principal Green said. "I've reviewed your impressive transcripts. I expect your light will shine very brightly here at Forks High."

Bella knew he was trying to be helpful, but her stomach twisted even more at these words. "I don't want to be the school freaky genius girl again," she whispered to her mom.

Mrs. Swan hugged her. "Just be Bella," she said warmly.

Bella went to her homeroom with Ms. Barfield, the school's drama teacher. True to her theatrical background, Ms. Barfield was flamboyantly dressed in a long, flowing dress and wore oversized glasses.

Bella quickly took her seat, doing her best to be invisible. She didn't see Edward enter with his best bud, Jasper – but as Edward said hello to other students, he caught a glimpse of her from the corner of his eye.

Surprised, he craned his neck for a better look, but other students kept getting in the way. _That girl_, he thought. _She looked just like – but what would the girl from New Year's Eve be doing here…?_

Before he could get a better look, the final bell rang and everybody scrambled to sit at their desks.

Ms. Barfield stood in front of the class as if she were taking center stage in a Broadway theater. "I trust you all had splendid holidays," she said. "Check the sign-up sheets in the lobby for new activities, especially our winter musical. There'll be single auditions for the supporting roles, as well as pairs auditions for our two leads-"

Jasper looked around for his basketball teammates, grinned, and blew a raspberry at the mention of the musical.

Ms. Barfield glared at him. "Mr. Whitlock, this is a place of learning, not a hockey arena," she snapped.

Edward was still craning his neck, trying to see the new girl who looked so much like Bella. Finally, frustrated, he pulled out his cell phone from his pocked at thumbed through the menu. The photo of Bella that he took on New Year's Eve popped up on the screen. He stared at it, remembering that magical night, as Ms. Barfield happily burbled on.

"There is also a final sign-up for next week's Scholastic Decathlon Competition," she said. "Chem Club president Alice Brandon can answer your questions on that."

Meanwhile, Edward hit the SEND button on his phone. Suddenly, Bella's phone started ringing wildly. At first, she didn't even react. After all, who would be calling her?

Rosalie and Barrett grabbed for their phones. After all, wouldn't every call be for them?

Ms. Barfield strode to the front of the room, the light of battle in her eyes. "Ah, the cell-phone menace returns to our crucible of learning!" she cried. She grabbed a plastic bucked labeled "Cell-itary Confinement" and held it out to the brother and sister. "Rosalie and Barrett, your phones please, and I'll see you in detention."

They rolled their eyes, but deposited their phones in the bucket. The ringing, however, went on.

Ms. Barfield's gaze swept the room, searching for the source of the nefarious ring. Blushing, Bella fumbled in her backpack. As she finally dug her phone out and started to turn it off, she saw…Edward Masen's photo?

Her eyes widened with surprise and she accidentally hit ANSWER instead of END.

Now Edward was staring in surprise at his phone, where he saw Bella's photo. But Ms. Barfield was looming over Bella and holding out her plastic bucket.

"We have zero tolerance on cell phones during class," the drama teacher said sternly. "So, we'll get to know each other at detention. Phone, please…and welcome to Forks High, Miss Swan."

As she waked back to the front of the class, she saw Edward holding his phone and held out her bucket. "Mr. Masen, I see your phone is involved. Splendid, we'll see you in detention, as well.

Edward sighed and dropped his phone in the bucket.

Behind him, Jasper protested. "That's not even a possibility, Ms. Barfield, you honor, because we have basketball practice and Edward is-"

Ms. Barfield whirled around and glared at him. "That's fifteen minutes for you, too, Mr. Whitlock. Count 'em!"

At the back of the class, Alice smirked and whispered to one of her brainiac friends, "That could be tough for Jasper, since he probably can't count that high."

She should have known better. Ms. Barfield had better hearing than a bat. "Alice Brandon," she said sharply. "Fifteen minutes."

Alice's jaw dropped. She had never had to serve a minute of detention in her entire life!

But it was no use protesting. Ms. Barfield had already whirled around to survey the rest of the class. "Shall the carnage continue? Vacation is over, people. Way over! Any more comments? Questions?"

Jacob, one of the basketball players, thought it was about time to restore a good mood to this morning's homeroom. He raised his hand and asked sincerely, "So how were your holidays, Ms. Barfield?"

As everyone looked at him in disbelief, the bell rang. The class bolted for the door, relieved to be free of Barfield rule for the time being.

Edward waited anxiously in the hall outside Ms. Barfield's homeroom, hanging back as his friends went on to their next classes.

Finally, Bella came out, and he walked toward her, hardly able to breathe. When Bella saw him, her eyes widened in disbelief.

She said, "I don't-"

"-believe it," Edward finished in a whisper.

Bella nodded. "Me-"

"-either," Edward finished again. "But how…"

"My mom's company transferred her here to Forks," Bella explained. She shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you live here. I looked for you at the lodge on New Year's Day, but-"

"We had to leave first thing," Edward said, still whispering.

Bella looked puzzled. "Why are you whispering?"

He looked a little embarrassed. "Oh, well, my friends know I went snowboarding, but I didn't tell them about the…singing…thing."

"Too much for them to handle?" she asked knowingly.

"It was…cool," Edward said quickly. He didn't want her getting the idea that he hadn't liked their singing debut! "But, my friends – that's not what I do. That was like a…different person."

They had reached the lobby, where activity sign-up sheets were posted. Edward pointed at the sheet for the winter musical auditions.

"Now that you've met Ms. Barfield, I'll bet you can't wait to sign up for that," he said, grinning his signature crooked grin.

Bella laughed. "I won't be signing up for anything here for a while," she said. "I just want to get to know the school." She glanced at him shyly. "But if you signed up, I'd consider coming to the show."

Edward shook his head. He couldn't even imagine the reaction he'd get if he signed up for the high school musical! "That's completely impossible," he said.

From behind him, Rosalie's voice said sweetly, "What's impossible Edward? I wouldn't think 'impossible' is even in your vocabulary." As they turned to look at Rosalie, she gestured toward Bella. "So nice of you to show our new classmate around."

She raised one eyebrow as she saw Bella looking at the musical sign-up sheet. Very deliberately, Rosalie stepped in front of Bella and signed her name with a flourish.

In fact, Bella noticed, Rosalie's signature took up the entire sign-up sheet!

But Rosalie looked at her, the picture of innocence, and said, "Oh…were you going to sign up, too? My brother and I have starred in all of the schools productions, and we really welcome newcomers." She smiled, ever so sweetly, then added, "There are a lot of supporting roles in this show. I'm sure we could find something for you."

"No, no," Bella said hastily. "I was just looking over the bulletin board. Lots going on at this school. Wow." I'm babbling, she thought. I have to stop it! Now! She pointed to Rosalie's huge signature. "Nice penmanship," she added weakly, before hurrying away to her next class.

Now that Rosalie had been left alone with Edward, she decided to seize the opportunity. "So, Edward," she said coyly, "I missed you during vacation. What'd you do?"

"Oh, you know, basketball, snowboarding, more basketball," Edward answered.

Rosalie nodded cheerfully and, using all of her dramatic training to sound as if she really cared, asked, "When's the big game?"

"Two weeks." Edward sounded resolute, determined. Two weeks until we're either champions – or we're not, he thought.

"You're so dedicated," Rosalie said, batting her eyelashes just a bit. After a moment, she added, "Just like me. I hope you'll come watch me in the musical? Promise?"

Just like Rosalie to bring the conversation back to herself, Edward thought wryly. But he smiled and nodded as he walked away.

A few hours later, Edward and the basketball team had gathered in the gym for practice. Edward and Jasper challenged each other by running a pressure drill, while the other boys ran a weave drill.

"Hey, you know that school-musical thing?" Edward asked as he tried to get around Jasper. "Is it true you get extra credit just for auditioning?"

"Who cares?" Jasper asked as he blocked Edward.

Edward raised one eyebrow and tried to scoot around Jasper from the other side. "It's good to get extra credit…for college and all," he said, trying to sound casual.

Jasper laughed and shook his head. "Do you think LeBron James or Shaquille O'Neal ever auditioned for their school musical?" he asked mockingly.

"Maybe…" Edward said hesitantly.

"Edward, the music in those shows isn't even hip-hop or rock or anything essential to the culture," Jasper explained patiently. "It's like…show music. Costumes, makeup." He shuddered. "Frightening."

Edward shrugged, still trying to sound like it was no big deal. "I thought it might be a good laugh. Rosalie is kind of cute, too."

Now Jasper looked at him with total disbelief. "So is a mountain lion, but you don't pet them."

Edward nodded, and gave up for the moment. Time to take charge of this practice, he thought. Time to focus. The championship game, he reminded himself sternly, is only weeks away.

He turned to his team. "All right, let's kick it in, run the shuffle drill," he yelled.

The team quickly took their positions and began bouncing basketballs and weaving around one another with the ease developed through hours of practice.

The balls began to bounce and the players began to move across the floor with a rhythmic, percussive movement. And Edward began to call out the practice drills.

_"Coach said to_

_Fake right_

_And break left_

_Watch out for the pick_

_And keep an eye on defense_

_You gotta run the give and go_

_And take the ball to the hole_

_But don't be afraid_

_To shoot the outside 'J'"_

The Spartans had developed a team motto, and now Edward shouted it to get his boys pumped up:

_"Just keep ya' head in the game_

_Keep ya' head in the game_

_Just keep ya' head in the game_

_Don't be afraid to shoot the outside 'J'"_

The team members smiled and moved even faster, smoother, better. Edward was a great captain, and he could motivate them like no one else.

Edward grabbed a ball and joined the drills, dribbling left around one player and right around another, still calling out drills.

When practice ended, everyone took deep breaths, smiling at how great they felt and how great they had looked. The Spartans were definitely good to go for the championship!


	4. Eddie The Basketball Junkie

**I do not own anything.**

* * *

The next morning, Bella sat at a station in the chemistry lab, across the table from Alice and next to Rosalie. The students were wearing neat white lab coats and busily setting up equipment as the chemistry teacher wrote equations on the blackboard.

Rosalie gave Bella a fake smile. Ever so casually, she said, "So, is seemed like you knew Edward Masen."

Bella glanced up briefly, but she was distracted by the teacher, who was solving the equation on the board. "Not really…I just asked him for directions," she said, even as she started checking the teacher's work on her scratch pad.

Rosalie raised the wattage of her smile just a bit. "Edward usually doesn't…interact…with new students."

"Why not?" Bella asked, not really listening. She looked at her equation. Hmmm. Her calculation was quite different from the teacher's. Should she say something? Maybe not. People didn't like it when you pointed out their mistakes…

"It's pretty much basketball 24/7 with him," Rosalie said with a little laugh.

Now Bella wasn't listening to Rosalie at all. She rechecked her own calculation and murmured, "Pi to the eleventh power."

She thought she had said it quietly, but apparently not quietly enough.

The chemistry teacher turned around. "Yes, Miss Swan?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Bella said, flustered. "I was just-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the teacher was standing by her chair, looking down at her notebook.

"Pi to the eleventh power?" the teacher said in surprise. "That's quite impossible." Then she whipped out a calculator and started punching in numbers. Across the table, Alice had her calculator out as well, and was watching the teacher, keystroke for keystroke.

There was a brief, stunned pause. Then the teacher said, "I stand corrected." She turned back to the blackboard to revise her work. Then she looked over her shoulder, smiled warmly at Bella, and added, "And welcome aboard."

Bella blushed as Alice stared at her, impressed.

Edward was strolling through the lobby on the way to his next class, when he caught sight of the musical audition sign-up sheet. His steps slowed. It was crazy, he knew it was crazy, but he couldn't seem to stop thinking about the musical. He stood still, almost hypnotized by the piece of paper. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Rosalie's brother, Barrett, who was hanging out nearby with a couple of the Drama Club kids.

Barrett's eyes narrowed suspiciously. When Edward finally moved on, Barrett ran up to the sheet, just to make sure…

At that moment, Rosalie arrived. Barrett rushed up to her, breathless. "Edward Masen was looking at our audition list!" he reported.

Rosalie stiffened, all senses suddenly alert. "Again? He was hanging around with that new girl, and they were both looking at the list." She paused a moment to think. "There's something freaky about her," Rosalie decided. "Where did she say she was from?"

Minutes later, Rosalie and Barrett were in the school library, doing an Internet search on Bella. A number of newspaper articles immediately popped up on the screen.

"Whiz Kid Leads School to Scholastic Championship," read one headline.

"Sun High Marvel Aces Statewide Chemistry Competition," another headline said.

A photo of Bella showed her beaming into the camera and holding a number of awards.

As Rosalie printed out the article, Barrett said, "Whoa…an Einstein-ette. So why is she interested in our musical?"

"I'm not sure that she is," Rosalie said. "And we needn't concern ourselves with amateurs." She neatly folded the printouts and stood up. "But there's no harm in making certain that Bella is welcomed into school activities that are…appropriate…for her. After all, she loves pi."

And Barrett, who was always at least one step behind Rosalie, saw his sister's smile and knew that she had a plan.

Later that day, everyone who had been given detention had to serve their time.

Ms. Barfield, of course, held her detention on the stage of the school's theater. The detainees' punishment was painting scenery, mopping the stage, and binding scripts.

Rosalie satisfied her requirements by telling Barrett how to paint a prop – and watching as he did it. Jasper was trying to assemble a piece of scenery, but he was hopeless. All his agility and finesse on the basketball court translated to total clumsiness when he picked up a hammer. Edward and Bella were working on opposite sides of the stage, exchanging shy glances and trying to muster the courage to actually speak to each other.

Before either one of them could seize the moment, however, Alice entered the auditorium and made a beeline for Bella. Alice looked as if she had just won the lottery – and, considering that she was the Scholastic Club president, maybe she had.

She came to a halt in front of Bella and said, beaming, "The answer is yes!"

"Huh?" Bella was lost.

"Our Scholastic Decathlon team has its first competition next week, and there's certainly a chair open for you," Alice said excitedly. She reached into her purse and pulled out a sheaf of newspaper articles about Bella's academic achievements.

Bella was stunned. "Where did those come from?"

"Didn't you slip them in my locker?" Now Alice was confused.

"Of course not." Bella was more than confused, she was upset. She had wanted to pass for average, well, as close to average as she could. Now that plan was destroyed.

Rosalie stood to one side, pretending not to listen even as she listened as hard as she could.

Alice quickly regrouped. "Well, we'd love to have you on the team. We meet almost every day after school." Then she had a quick flash of how much better their team would be if Bella joined, and added, "Please?"

"I need to catch up on the curriculum here before I think about joining any clubs…" Bella started hesitantly.

Rosalie whipped around. If there was any time to join this conversation, she thought, it was now. "But what a perfect way to get caught up, meeting with the smartest kids in the school. What a generous offer, Alice!"

Bella looked from one girl to the other, feeling trapped. She was saved by Ms. Barfield, who walked onto the stage from the wings and said, "So many new faces in here today." She stared at them meaningfully. "I hope it doesn't become a habit, though the Drama Club can always use an extra hand. Now, as we work, let's probe the mounting evils of cell phones. My first thought on the subject is-"

Jasper could recognize the beginning of a boring, long-winded lecture when he heard one. He quickly tried to hide inside a fake tree. No luck. He could still hear Ms. Barfield, droning on…

As Ms. Barfield listed all the problems with cell phones, the basketball team was taking the court for after-school practice. Coach Masen entered and blew his whistle for practice to start.

"Okay, let's get rolling. Two weeks to the big-"

Then he paused and looked around. Something was wrong, he though. Something was missing. Someone was missing…

"Where are Edward and Jasper?"

* * *

"Perhaps the most heinous example of cell phone abuse is ringing in the theater," Ms. Barfield was saying. "What temerity! For the theater is a temple of art, a precious cornucopia of creative energy…"

Only Barrett and Rosalie were still listening. They nodded soberly in agreement.

Jasper was now asleep inside the fake tree. He was even snoring.

Just as everyone thought they might faint from boredom, Coach Masen ran into the auditorium, the light of battle shining in his eyes.

"Where's my team, Barfield?!" he yelled. "And what they hell are they doing here!?"

Ms. Barfield pulled herself to her full height and said icily, "It's called crime and punishment…Coach Masen." She swept her arm toward the stage and added, "And proximity to the arts is cleansing for the soul."

Unfortunately, Jasper chose that moment to suddenly wake up and fall out of his fake tree.

Coach Masen held his temper and said to Ms. Barfield, as quietly as he could, "May we have a word?" He pointed to Edward and Jasper and snapped, "You two, into the gym. Right now."

Edward and Jasper jumped up, overjoyed at their sudden release from prison. As they dashed for the door, Edward reached into the bucket and grabbed his cell phone.

And then they were gone. Bella had watched them the whole way.

* * *

Principal Green sat behind his desk, looking with resignation at the school's basketball coach and drama teacher. The coach was angry. The drama teacher was defiant. And Principal Green was starting to get that familiar feeling of heartburn…

"If they have to paint sets for detention, they can do it tonight, not during my practice," the coach said.

Ms. Barfield appealed to the principal's sense of fair play. "If these were theater performers instead of athletes, would you seek special treatment?"

"Barfield, we are days away from the biggest game of the year," Coach Masen said, exasperated.

"And we are in the midst of auditions for our winter musical, as well," the drama teacher shot back. "This school is about more than young men in baggy shorts flinging balls for touchdowns."

"Baskets," the coach said through gritted teeth. "They shoot baskets."

Principal Green sighed wearily. "Listen guys, you've been having this argument since…let me think…" He raised his voice. "…since the day you both started teaching here!" In a more reasonable tone, he added, "We are one school, one student body, one faculty. Can we not agree on that?"

The coach and drama teacher stared at him in disbelief. Clearly, they weren't going to agree on anything. The principal shook his head and picked up a minibasketball from his desk. He tossed it toward the small basketball hoop on his wall and asked, "How's the team looking, anyway? Edward got them whipped into shape?"

Ms. Barfield could only roll her eyes.

Having won his latest skirmish with Ms. Barfield, Coach Masen returned to the gym. He paced in front of his team and reminded them of the sad truth they all knew. "The La Push High Wolves have knocked us out of the playoffs three years running. Now we're one game away from taking that championship right back from them."

He stopped to look directly at each player in turn. "It's time to make our stand. The team is you, and you are the team. And the team doesn't exist unless each and every one of you is fully focused on our goal."

He focused on Edward and Jasper, and adding meaningfully, "Am I clear?"

They nodded, as the whole team erupted into their cheer. "Spartans! Getcha head in the game!"

Coach Masen nodded, satisfied. They were pumped up. They were ready. And they were going to win!

* * *

Ms. Barfield's detention was over, and Alice and Bella were finally free. As they walked across the courtyard together, Alice said, "We've never made it out of the first round of the Scholastic Decathlon. You could be our answered prayer."

Bella smiled. She was flattered, but she didn't budge. "I'm going to focus on my studies this semester and help my mom get the new house organized. Maybe next year."

"But-" Alice began.

Bella searched her mind for some way to change the subject, and immediately thought of a topic she was most curious about. "What do you know about Edward Masen?"

"Edward?" Alice raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I wouldn't consider myself an expert on that particular subspecies." Six cheerleaders were approaching them, walking in a pack, as usual. Alice's eyes sparkled with mischief as she added, "However, unless you speak cheerleader, as in-" She put on an enthusiastic, cheerleader voice and said breathlessly, "Isn't Edward Masen just the hottie superbomb?"

On cue, the cheerleaders nodded and squealed enthusiastically.

"See what I mean?" Alice said to Bella.

Bella laughed. "I guess I wouldn't know how to speak cheerleader."

Alice nodded, happy to have made her point. "Which is why we exist in an alternative universe to Eddie-the-basketball-junkie."

Bella nodded. She knew that Alice was right. In every high school, there were the brainiacs, the jocks, the band kids, the cheerleaders, the slackers…And every group was its own clique. No one ever moved from one clique to another. No one.

Still…

"Have you tried to get to know him?" she asked.

Alice just laughed. "Watch how it works in the cafeteria tomorrow when you have lunch with us. Unless you'd rather sit with the cheerleaders and discuss the importance of firm nail beds."

"My nail beds are history," Bella said, smiling as she held up her hands to illustrate her point.

Alice laughed and held up her hands in turn. Her nails looked just as bad as Bella's. "Sister!" she cried, and they slapped hands in brainiac solidarity.

* * *

It was almost dark, but Edward was still in his backyard, shooting hoops. His father watched approvingly; his boy had moves, he thought. Good moves. Great moves, in fact.

He had to make sure Edward didn't lose focus. Not now.

"I still don't understand this detention thing," he said.

"It was my mess-up," Edward answered quickly, hoping this wouldn't turn into a big discussion. "Sorry, Dad."

"Barfield will grab any opportunity to bust my chops, and yours, too," his father reminded him.

Edward nodded, but his mind was on other things. After a moment, he asked hesitantly, "Dad, did you ever think about trying something new but were afraid of what your friends might think?"

"You mean working on going left?" his dad asked. "You're doing fine."

Edward sighed but tried again. "I meant – what if you try something really new and it's a disaster and all your friends laugh at you?"

"Then maybe they're not your friends," his father said. "That was my whole point about 'team' today. You guys have to look out for each other. And you're their leader."

"Yeah, but-" Edward was getting frustrated. He was really confused here, what with Bella and the musical and the way he had felt singing with her, and all his dad could think about was the basketball game.

"There are going to be college scouts at our game next week, Edward," his father said, as if Edward needed reminding. "Do you know what a scholarship is worth these days?"

"A lot?" Edward said. He didn't need to ask. He knew that a basketball scholarship could pay for four years of college. It would really help his parents financially. And it would help set him up for the future.

His father nodded. "Focus, Edward."

And Edward nodded in agreement. That's what he had to do. Focus. Concentrate on basketball. Don't think about anything else – not even singing.

_Especially_ not singing.


	5. Why Are You Hiding Behind A Mop?

**The only thing I own is and old, beat up Mustang.**

* * *

The next morning, Edward entered his homeroom class. The first person he saw was Bella. He sneaked a peek at her and realized she was looking at him, too. They both smiled sheepishly and looked away as Ms. Barfield said sternly, "I expect we learned our homeroom manners yesterday, people, correct?"

Everyone nodded obediently.

"If not, we have dressing rooms that need painting," she warned. "Now, a few announcements. This morning during free period is your chance for musical auditions, both singles and pairs. I'll be in the theater until noon, for those bold enough to explore the wingspan of their latent creative spirit."

Behind Edward, Jasper rolled his eyes at this and leaned forward to whisper, "What time is she due back on the mother ship?"

His buddies snickered. Edward smiled uncomfortably. As he sat through the rest of homeroom, he tried to focus. Basketball, he kept saying to himself. Keep your eye on the prize, Edward. Don't think about anything except basketball.

When Ms. Barfield released the class, everyone piled out into the hallway. Jasper quickly caught up with Edward. "Hey, Ed…the whole team's hitting the gym during free period. What are you going to have us run?"

Edward looked shifty. "Can't make it. I've got to catch up on homework."

Jasper did a double take. "What? Hello, this is only the second day back, dude," he protested. "I'm not even behind yet, and I've been behind on homework since preschool."

Edward smiled and shrugged. "Catch you later," he said, then melted away in the crowd.

Jasper looked after him, puzzled. "Homework?" he asked himself. "No way." He followed Edward, determined to find out this mystery.

Jasper would never make a good spy, Edward thought, catching a glimpse of his buddy out of the corner of his eye. He saw an open classroom door and quickly ducked inside. He saw Jasper peer inside, and started talking to a couple of students as a cover. Then someone passing called out to Jasper. As soon as Edward saw that his friend was distracted, he slipped out of the back door, and hurried down the stairwell.

The stairwell led outside to the courtyard. As Edward darted across the open area, he suddenly saw his father walking toward him. Thinking fast, Edward hid behind a wall, then opened the door to the automotive shop. He slipped inside just as his father approached.

Funny, Coach Masen thought, I could have sworn I just saw Edward…He looked around, but his son was nowhere in sight. The coach shrugged. I must be seeing things. Must be the pressure of the big game, he thought, and went on.

Edward's evasive skills and fast footwork came in handy as he moved quickly around the large pieces of equipment in the auto shop. As he reached the door, the auto-shop teacher approached.

"…shortcut…" Edward explained quickly. "…late for class…" Then he ducked out the door, ran down the hall, and entered the school theater from the backstage.

He peered out through the stage curtains and saw dozens of kids arriving, eager to try out. He spotted the janitor's car with a mop and bucket. He turned the mop upside down and used it as a cover as he rolled the cart down a ramp, along the side of the theater and into the shadows at the back of the auditorium.

From his safe hiding place, he watched as Ms. Barfield stepped onto the stage and began auditions in her trademark dramatic style. "This is where the true expression of the artist is realized, where inner truth is revealed through the actor's journey, where-" She stopped suddenly to glare around her theater.

"…WAS THAT A CELL PHONE?" she snapped.

Nessie, the composer of this year's musical, was seated at a piano onstage. She answered Ms. Barfield timidly. "No, ma'am, it was the recess bell."

Ms. Barfield nodded, satisfied that her domain had not been invaded. "Those wishing to audition must understand that time is of the essence, we have many roles to cast, and the final callbacks will be next week. First, you'll sing a few bars, and then I will give you sense of whether or not the theater is your calling. Better to hear it from me now than from your friends later. Our composer, Nessie Cullen, will accompany you, and be available for rehearsals prior to callbacks. Shall we?"

She took a seat in the front row and braced herself for what was to come. She had too many years of experience with student auditions. She knew this wasn't going to be pretty.

The first student, a shy boy with a slightly flat voice, took the stage. Nessie began playing the audition song, "What I've Been Looking For," and he sang along. When they'd finished, Ms. Barfield thought that it hadn't been horrible, but it certainly wasn't up to her high standards. Next came Susan, whose off-key voice and overly enthusiastic gestures were…well, Ms. Barfield thought, they were just scary bad. She winced as Susan belted out the song.

At the end of Susan's audition, Ms. Barfield put on a fake smile and said, "That's nice, Susan," adding, "perhaps best saved for a family gathering."

Then Mike bounded up, smiling. He was a very snappy dresser, but when he opened his mouth, Ms. Barfield realized sadly that he was a terrible singer. She told him, "Mike, I admire your pluck. As to your voice…those are really nice shoes you're wearing. Next…"

Next was Jane, whose high-pitched wail made Ms. Barfield grimace. "Ah, Jane, what courage to pursue a note that's never been accessed in the natural world," she said, trying to be positive. "Bravo." She quickly corrected herself – after all, if there was one thing Ms. Barfield knew, it was theater terminology. Bravo was said to congratulate a male singer, while Brava was said to a female. "Brava!" she said to Jane. "How about…the spring musical?"

She thought she had reached her breaking point, but that was before she saw the next audition, a boy and a girl who made strange gestures and performed slow somersaults as they chanted the lyrics in a hypnotic monotone.

"Okay…" Ms. Barfield finally said. "That was…just plain disturbing. Go see a counselor."

As Edward watched the auditions wistfully, he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Bella.

"Hey! You decided to sign up for something?" she asked.

"No," he answered. "You?"

She shook her head. "No." Then she took in his "disguise." "Why are you hiding behind a mop?"

Embarrassed, he awkwardly pushed the mop out of the way.

Bella looked at him knowingly. "Your friends don't know you're here, right?"

He hesitated, then admitted the truth. "Right." He glanced at the stage, where the auditions, and Ms. Barfield's putdowns, were continuing. "Ms. Barfield is little…harsh."

"The Spartan superstar is…afraid?" she teased him.

"Not afraid…just…" He hesitated again, then let his guard down. "…scared."

Relieved, Bella said, "Me, too." She looked at Ms. Barfield, who was dismissing yet another hopeful singer. "Hugely."

As they nervously watched Ms. Barfield, the teacher checked her clipboard and announced, "For the lead roles of Arnold and Minnie, we only have one couple signed up." She smiled warmly at her star students. "Nevertheless, Barrett and Rosalie, I think it might be useful for you to give us a sense of why we gather in this hallowed hall."

This was just the moment Rosalie and Barrett were waiting for. They made grand entrances from opposite sides of the stage, and bowed to the almost-empty auditorium as if it were a Broadway theater filled with a cheering audience.

Rosalie glared at Nessi, who jumped as she realized that she was expected to clap for them. Quickly regrouping, Nessie asked shyly, "What key?" and prepared to play.

But Barrett lifted a boom box and said smugly, "We had our rehearsal pianist do an arrangement." He hit the PLAY button, and he and his sister began their routine.

Their voices were great, Nessie admitted to herself, and their dancing! They must have had a professional choreographer. But they had changed her soulful ballad into a fast, upbeat number. She couldn't help but feel disappointed as they sang.

They finished with a professional flourish and beamed proudly. They were good, and they knew they were good.

After that audition, everyone else knew it, too. The few kids who were gathering their courage to audition at the last minute quietly slinked out of the theater, totally intimidated.

"Don't be discouraged!" Barrett called after them. "The theater club doesn't need just singers, it needs fans, too! Buy tickets!"

Nessie gathered her courage and approached Rosalie and Barrett. "Actually, if you do the part…with that particular song, I was hoping you'd-"

"If we do the part?" Rosalie interrupted her. "Nessie, my sawed-off Sondheim, I've been in seventeen school productions. And how many times have your compositions been selected?"

"This is the first time," Nessie admitted.

"Which tells us what?" Rosalie demanded.

Nessie paused, not sure what answer was expected of her. "That I should write you more solos?"

Rosalie shook her head. "It tells us that you do not offer direction, suggestion, or commentary," she said condescendingly. "And you should be thankful that Barrett and I are here to lift your music out of its current obscurity. Are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Nessie said, thoroughly cowed. Then she caught herself. "I mean, Rosalie."

"Nice talking to you," Rosalie said in a tone of dismissal. She and Barrett turned on their heels and left with the regal stride of future superstars.

Nessie began gathering her music, her pulse racing after this close encounter with celebrity ego.

"Okay, we're out of time, so if we have any last-minute-sign-ups?" Ms. Barfield announced. She looked around the room. "No? Good. Done."

She tossed her clipboard into her shoulder bag and began to leave. Bella took a deep breath. It was now or never, she thought. Before she could have second thoughts, she ran up to the drama teacher.

"I'd like to audition, Ms. Barfield.

Ms. Barfield shook her head. "Timeliness means something in the world of theater, young lady. Plus, the individual auditions are long, long over. And there are simply no other pairs."

Then, out of the darkness, Edward's voice said, "I'll sing with her." He moved from the shadows to stand with Bella.

"Edward Masen?" The drama teacher looked more than taken aback. She looked suspicious. "Where's your…sport posse, or whatever it's called?"

"Team," Edward said helpfully. "But I'm here alone. Actually," he smiled at Bella, "I'm here to sing with her."

"Yes, well, we treat these shows very seriously here at Forks High," Ms. Barfield sniffed. "I called for the pairs audition, and you didn't respond." She pointed to the clock. "Free period is over." Then, in an effort to sound gracious, she added, "Next musical, perhaps."

As she headed for the back of the auditorium, Nessie started to leave the stage, clutching her sheet music. She was so distracted by all the drama, on and off the stage, that she tripped over the piano leg and sprawled to the floor. Her pages of music scattered everywhere.

Edward jumped onstage, lifter her up, and began helping her collect the papers. Nessie didn't lift a finger to help, she was too stunned. Edward Masen, the Edward Masen, the school's star basketball player, was helping her? She stared at him, frozen.

Edward didn't notice the effect he was having on Nessie. "You composed the song that Barrett and Rosalie just sang?" he asked.

Speechless, Nessie nodded.

"And the entire show?" he asked.

Again, Nessie managed to nod. Barely.

"That's way cool," he said, truly impressed. "I can't wait to hear the rest of the show." When she didn't answer, he went on. "Why are you so afraid of Barrett and Rosalie? It's your show."

Nessie was so startled, she actually blurted out a couple of words. "It is?"

"Isn't the composer of a show like the playmaker in basketball?" he asked.

"Playmaker?" Nessie hadn't ever heard that term, but she liked the sound of it.

"The person who makes everyone else look good," he explained. "Without you, there is no show. You're the playmaker here, Nessie."

"I am?" Nessie had never thought of it that way before. But now that Edward Masen – the Edward Masen! – had said it, she had to admit it, it made a certain kind of sense. Feeling bold and strong for the first time, she sat at the piano and asked, "Do you want to hear the way that duet is supposed to sound?"

She began playing the audition song that Barrett and Rosalie had rearranged. She played it more slowly, with feeling and soul. Edward and Bella listened with growing appreciation.

"Wow, now that's really nice," Edward said.

Nessie pushed the music toward Edward.

He looked at it. Did he dare?

Bella looked at it too, feeling tempted.

Then Edward began to sing softly:

_ "It's hard to believe_

_ That I couldn't see_

_ You were always there beside me"_

Bella soon joined in, a little more boldly.

_ "Thought I was alone_

_ With no one to hold"_

When they sang together, the harmonies melded perfectly.

They both felt the same glow they had felt on New Year's Eve. Nessie beamed as she listened to the simple, pure interpretation of her song. It was the way she had dreamed it would sound.

As they finished, Ms. Barfield stepped forward from the darkness by the back door. She had been watching and listening the entire time. And what she had seen and heard had surprised her.

As she wrote their names on her clipboard, she called out, "Masen, Swan, you have a callback. Nessie, give them the duet from the second act. Work on it with them."

The bell rang. Ms. Barfield strode off to her next class as Edward and Bella looked at each other, totally stunned. Now what?

Nessie handed them the music and said eagerly, "If you want to rehearse, I'm usually in the music room during free period and after school…and sometimes even during biology class."


	6. Wouldn't That Be Awfully Uncomfortable?

**Not mine. :(**

* * *

All was quiet until the next morning. Then, Rosalie walked into school. She checked out the sheet that Ms. Barfield had posted, listing who had to take part in a second round of auditions. And she saw the dreaded phrase…

"CALLBACK!!!" Her scream echoed through the halls of Forks High.

Barrett rushed to her side and read aloud from the sheet. " 'Callback for roles of Arnold and Minnie, next Thursday, 3:30 P.M. Barrett and Rosalie Hale. Isabella Swan and Edward Masen."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Rosalie demanded angrily. "They didn't even audition."

"Maybe we're being punk'd?" Barrett suggested. "Maybe we're being filmed right now. Maybe we'll get to meet Ashton!"

"Shut up, Barrett!" Rosalie snarled.

By this time, a crowd of students had gathered. Edward's teammates Jasper, Jacob, and Emmett were among the students staring at the list.

Jasper saw Edward's name. An expression of complete and utter horror crossed his face. "WHAT?!!!!!!" he yelled.

By lunchtime, the news that Edward and Bella had tried out for the musical had spread like a wildfire. As students entered the cafeteria, they took their usual seats. Jocks sat with jocks. Brainiacs sat with brainiacs. Drama kids sat with drama kids. Skater dudes, cheerleaders, punks…each sat with their own kind. That was the way the world was meant to be. Orderly. Predictable. Understandable.

Rosalie held court at the head of the drama kids table. Nessie sat at the far end, listening to every word, but keeping quiet, as usual.

"How dare she sign up," Rosalie said. "I've already picked out the colors for my dressing room."

"And she hasn't even asked our permission to join the Drama Club," Barrett pointed out supportively.

"Someone's got to tell her the rules," Rosalie decided.

"Exactly," her brother agreed. He thought for a moment, then asked, "What are the rules?"

As if he was just waiting for that cue, Emmett, a tall, burly basketball player with a killer smile, began singing. The other jocks gathered around, curious. Emmett looked at them, took a deep breath, and admitted, "If Edward admits he sings, then I can tell my secret." He whispered to them, "I bake."

"What?" Jasper couldn't believe what he had heard.

But now that he had confessed, Emmett felt that he had been set free. "I love to bake," he said. "Scones, strudel, even apple pandowdy." He was too caught up in his enthusiasm to stop. "I dream of making the perfect crème brulee," he said as Jasper buried his face in his hands.

The jocks were horrified. Urgently, the sang:

_"No, no, no, noooooooooooo_

_Stick to the stuff you know_

_If you wanna be cool_

_Follow one simple rule_

_Don't mess with the flow, no no_

_Stick to the status quo"_

Emmett had started something. Over at the brainiacs table, Angela Webber, a studious girl who wore glasses and a plain skirt and sweater, suddenly jumped up from the table, threw her arms wide and exclaimed, "Hip-hop is my passion! I love to pop, lock, jam, and break."

She demonstrated a few moves, and one of the brainiac boys got worried. "Is that legal?" he asked the table.

Angela turned to the worried boy and said, "It's just…dancing. And the truth is, sometimes I think it's even cooler than-" She took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and finished. "-homework!"

Her friends looked as if they were about to faint.

Meanwhile, across the cafeteria, a skateboarder stood up and confessed, "If Edward can be in a show, then I'm coming clean." He hesitated, then gave it up. "I play the cello."

"Awesome," said another skateboarder. "What is it?"

His friend mimed playing the cello, but saw only confusion on the other boarder's face.

"A saw?"

"No, it's like a giant violin," the first boarder explained.

"Do you have to wear a costume?" the second boarder asked.

"Coat and tie," the unmasked cello player said.

"That's uncalled for!" his friend exclaimed.

The spirit of rebellion was building, however! The skater dude jumped up on his table and enthusiastically mimed playing the cello. Brainiac Angela was busting out some cool hip-hop moves from the top of her table, dancing and swaying to the rhythm in her head.

The students who had confessed their secret loves were now all standing on their respective cafeteria table as if they were on stages, singing their hearts out.

Finally, Rosalie had had enough. She shouted, "Everybody, QUIET!" Her voice echoed through the room. All the students stopped and stared at Bella and Alice, who had just entered the cafeteria and picked up their lunch trays.

Bella noticed the attention and said nervously, "Why are they staring at you?"

"Not me," Alice replied. "You."

"Because of the callback?" The memory of that horrible church choir experience flooded back into Bella's mind. "I can't have people stare at me. I really can't."

As Bella and Alice wove through the crowd to a table, Bella stumbled. Her tray went flying and spilled chili fires, ketchup, and melted cheese all over…Rosalie.

Rosalie stood still, stone-faced, and Bella tried to clean the food from Rosalie's blouse. It only made the mess worse.

At that moment, Edward entered the cafeteria and noticed what was going on. He headed over to help Bella, but Jasper quickly intercepted him. "You can't get in the middle of that, Eddie," his buddy warned. "Far too dangerous."

He dragged Edward over to the safest place in the room: their usual table. Edward looked around and realized that the cafeteria was buzzing with energy and excitement.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Oh, let's see," Jasper answered. "You missed free-period workout yesterday to audition for some heinous musical. Suddenly people are…confessing. Emmett is baking…crème brulee."

Edward frowned, trying to follow all this. This was a lot of confusing information, so he seized on the easiest point to clear up. Crème brulee?

"What's that?"

"A creamy, custard like filling with a caramelized surface," Emmett said, happy to finally be able to talk about his secret passion. "Very satisfying."

Jasper rolled his eyes. This was getting out of control. "Shut up, Em!" he yelled. Then he turned to Edward. "Do you see what's happening? Our team is coming apart because of your singing thing. Even the drama geeks and brainiacs suddenly think they can…talk to us. The skater dudes are…mingling. People think they can suddenly…do other stuff! Stuff that's not their stuff!"

He pointed dramatically to the kids sitting at Rosalie's table. "They've got you thinking about show tunes, when we've got a playoff game next week!"

At this moment, Ms. Barfield walked into the cafeteria and noted the unusual sense of turmoil among the students. She spotted Rosalie, who was trying, without success, to clean her blouse with a napkin.

"What happened here?" Ms. Barfield demanded.

"Look at this!" Rosalie cried indignantly. "That Isabella girl dumped her lunch on me…on purpose! It's all part of their plan to ruin our musical."

She pointed an accusing finger at the jock table. "And Edward and his basketball robots are obviously behind it. Why do you think he auditioned?"

She sensed that she was convincing Ms. Barfield that some sort of conspiracy was being hatched. She smiled a bit and went on smoothly, "After all the work you've put into this show, it just doesn't seem right."

Nessie watched and listened as Rosalie worked on Ms. Barfield. But despite her new confidence, she still couldn't take on the queen of the Drama Club and Ms. Barfield.

At least, not yet.

* * *

Coach Masen was eating a sandwich at his desk and reading the newspaper sports page, when Ms. Barfield suddenly barged in. He dropped the paper with a sigh – he had been having such a nice, peaceful lunch – as the drama teacher said, "All right, Masen, cards on the table right now."

"Huh?" Sometimes Coach Masen thought that all that make-believe was affecting Ms. Barfield's mind. She always seemed off in some other world, from what he could see.

"You're tweaked that I put your stars in detention, so now you're getting even?" Ms. Barfield was beside herself with rage.

"What are you talking about, Barfield?" The coach was honestly confused.

"Your 'all-star' son showed up for my audition," Ms. Barfield said. "I give every student an even chance, which is the long and honorable tradition of the theater – something you wouldn't understand – but if he's planning some kind of practical joke in my chapel of the arts-"

The coach grasped the one truth he knew he could cling to amid this barrage of nonsense. "Edward doesn't even sing."

"Oh, you're wrong about that. But I won't allow my _Twinkle Towne_ musical made into a farce-"

He could help it. He almost laughed in her face, but managed to choke it back at the last second. "Twinkle Towne?" he asked.

Apparently, his poker face wasn't as good as he thought. Ms. Barfield knew he was laughing, and immediately assumed that he had sent Edward to audition as some kind of practical joke.

"See!" she cried. "I knew it! I knew it!"

Back in the cafeteria, Alice and Bella were still trying to recover from the chaos that had erupted.

"Is Rosalie really, really mad?" Bella asked. "I said I was sorry."

"No one has beaten out Rosalie for a musical since kindergarten," Alice explained.

"I'm not trying to beat anyone out," Bella protested. "We weren't even auditioning. We were just…singing."

Alice shook her head. "You won't convince Rosalie of that," she warned. "If that girl could figure out how to play both Romeo and Juliet, her own brother would be aced out of a job."

"I told you, it just…happened." The she admitted the real truth. "But…I liked it. A lot."

She sighed then asked Alice the question she had been wondering about ever since New Year's Eve. "Do you ever feel like there's this whole other person inside of you, just looking for a way out?"

Alice gave her a sharp look. "No," she said decisively.

The bell rang to signal the end of the lunch period. Rosalie walked out of the cafeteria, but not before leaving a death-ray glance at Bella.

Then Emmett stepped up to stop Rosalie. He was fizzing with happiness, now that his secret love of baking was out in the open.

"Hey, Rosalie," he said. "Now that Eddie's going to be your show…"

"Edward Masen is not in my show!" she snapped.

Emmett pushed on, undeterred. "I thought maybe you'd like to come to see me play ball some time…."

Rosalie tossed her head and said grandly, "I'd rather stick pins in my eyes."

He frowned at her, puzzled. "Wouldn't that be awfully uncomfortable?"

She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Evaporate, tall person!" she said as she stormed away.

Crestfallen, Emmett called after her, "I bake…if that helps."


	7. No One Said Anything About Leotards

**I don't own anything, though I think I might wish for it on my birthday, which is Tuesday. **

* * *

The next day, Bella opened her locker and found a note. She read it quickly, then looked at a yellow door at the end of the hall. She was a little confused – and very intrigued.

She opened the door and found a staircase that led up to the roof. As she opened the door and stepped out into the beautiful, surprisingly sunny day, she saw Edward sitting on a bench. He was surrounded by lush plants, all being grown as hydroponic experiments.

"So this is your private hideout?" she asked, smiling.

"Thanks to the Science Club," Edward said. "Which means my buddies don't even know about it."

Bella wondered about that. His teammates didn't seem to be his only buddies. "Looks to me like everyone on campus wants to be your friend," she pointed out.

"Unless we lose."

He seemed a little down about that, she thought. The pressure must be intense, especially since…

"I'm sure it's tricky being the coach's son," she said.

Edward shrugged. "It makes me practice a little harder, I guess. I don't know what he'll say when he hears about the singing thing."

"You're worried?" She was surprised. Edward seemed so cool, so confident. Not the type to worry. Ever.

But Edward nodded. "My parents' friends are always saying, 'Your son is the basketball guy, you must be so proud.' Sometimes I don't want to be the basketball guy. I just want to be…a guy."

Bella smiled with understanding. He didn't want to be the basketball guy any more than she wanted to be the genius girl. They were both so much more than that…

"I saw how you treated Nessie at the audition yesterday," she said softly. "Do your friends know _that_ guy?"

He shook his head. "To them, I'm the playmaker dude."

"Then they don't know enough about you, Edward." Bella paused, then decided it was time to share a confession of her own. "At my other schools I was the freaky math girl. It's cool coming here and being…anyone I want to be. When I was singing with you, I just felt like…a girl."

"You even look liked one, too," he teased her.

She laughed, glad to have the seriousness of the moment lightened a bit. "Remember in kindergarten you'd meet a kid, know nothing about them, then ten seconds later were best friends, because you didn't have to be anything but yourself?"

"Yeah…" Edward's voice was wistful.

"Singing with you felt like that," Bella said sincerely.

"I never thought about singing, that's for sure," Edward said. "Until you."

"So you really want to do the callbacks?" she asked.

He thought about it for a moment as he looked at her. Really looked at her. Then he smiled. "Hey, just call me freaky callback boy."

She smiled, a glowing smile of pure happiness. "You're a cool guy, Edward. But not for the reasons your friends think." He looked down, a little embarrassed, and she moved on quickly. "Thanks for showing me your top secret hiding place. Like kindergarten."

Then the bell rang, breaking the mood and making Edward realize he was late. And that meant detention!

* * *

The next day, Nessie sat alone at the piano, playing with passion and energy. No one else was in the room. Just Nessie and her music. Exactly the way she liked it.

Edward sat in the stairwell, practicing his audition song. He kind of liked the way his voice echoed.

At that moment, Barrett rounded a corner and slowed down to listen. He could have sworn he heard someone singing…

Meanwhile, Bella found her own private spot with great acoustics: the girls' bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror and sang. Rosalie was heading for class when she thought she heard the faint sound of singing. She turned her head to spot where it was coming from…there! She opened the bathroom door and went in, looking everywhere for the source of the music.

She found…nothing.

I've been rehearsing too much, Rosalie thought as she left the bathroom. I'm starting to hear that music everywhere I go!

Bella stepped out of her hiding place she had quickly found for herself and smiled.

Later that day, in the school's rehearsal room, Nessie played the piano for Bella and helped her with her phrasing. Then it was Edward's turn. He worked as hard as he could, but singing was harder than he thought. Just when he was getting frustrated beyond belief, Nessie would stop to encourage him.

Just like basketball, he thought. You've gotta keep practicing.

And he started to sing again.

The other basketball players were in the gym warming up for practice. Coach Masen kept checking his watch. Where was Edward? He frowned. Something was going on with that boy. Something weird. Something different. And it was getting in the way of his championship dream.

Coach Masen didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. He would have liked it even less if he had known where Edward was.

In detention. Again.

The only bright side was that Bella was there, too. They stole glances at each other as they painted scenery. Each one was smiling a secret smile. Each one was hearing the audition song in their heads.

Finally, detention was over. Edward raced back to the gym, only to find that practice was over, too.

The players headed toward the locker room. Hoping to recover a bit from his absence, Edward said to his father, "I'm going to stay a while, work on free throws."

Coach Masen nodded coldly in agreement. "Since you were late for practice…again…I think your teammates deserve a little extra effort from you." He gave Edward a hard look, then headed for his office.

Edward sighed. He started shooting baskets, sinking one after the other. Then Bella poked her head around the door. He smiled in welcome and waved her in. She entered cautiously, looking around with curiosity. "Wow, so this is your…real stage."

"I guess you could call it that," he said. "Or just a smelly gym." He bounced the ball over to her. She grabbed it and took a shot. It went in, and Edward turned to her, surprised.

"Whoa…don't tell me you're good at hoops, too?"

"I once scored forty-one points in a leaguer championship game," she said, straight-faced.

"No way," he said, impressed.

"Yeah," she laughed, "the same day I invented the space shuttle and microwave popcorn."

He laughed, stole the ball back from her, took a shot, and missed. She grabbed it on the rebound and said, "I've been rehearsing with Nessie."

"I know," he said. "Me, too. And I was late for practice. So if I get kicked off the team, it'll be on your conscience."

Bella looked startled. "Hey, I-"

"Bella," Edward said, laughing. "Chill."

She gave him a stern look for the teasing just as Coach Masen came back to the gym.

"Miss, I'm sorry, this is a closed practice," the coach said, his voice booming in the empty gym.

"Dad, practice is over," Edward protested.

"Not until the last player leaves the gym," the coach said. "Team rules."

Bella sensed the tension between them and quickly said, "Oh, I'm sorry, sir."

"Dad, this is Bella Swan," Edward said.

Bella looked at the coach with interest. So this was Edward's father….

The coach looked at her with disapproval. "Your detention buddy?" he said.

Okay. Bella knew it was time to leave. "I'll see you later, Edward," she said. "Nice to meet you, Coach Masen."

"You as well, Miss Swan," the coach said, as he gave her a stern look.

Edward faced his dad. "Detention was my fault, not hers."

"You haven't missed practice in three years," his father pointed out. "That girl turns up out of nowhere and you're late twice."

Edward felt anger flare up in his chest. "That girl is named Bella, and she's very nice," he said sharply.

"Helping you miss practice doesn't make her 'very nice'" his dad said, just as sharply. "Not in my book. Or your team's."

"She's not a problem, Dad," Edward said, frustrated. Why was his father, why was his coach, making such a big deal about this? "She's just a girl."

"But you're not just 'a guy', Edward." His father, his coach, was equally frustrated. "You're the team leader, so what you do affects not only this team, but the entire school. Without you completely focused, we won't win the game next week. And playoff games don't come along all the time…they're something special."

Without warning, a series of memories ran through Edward's mind: Singing with Bella. Laughing with Bella. Talking with Bella.

"A lot of things are special," he said.

"You're a playmaker, not a singer," his father reminded him.

Exasperated, Edward yelled, "Did you ever think maybe I could be both?" He turned abruptly and headed for the locker room

His dad watched him go, worried. He hoped he had been able to get through to Edward, but he feared that he hadn't.

Inside the hall between the locker room and the gym, Jasper, Jacob, and Emmett huddled together. They had been listening, wide-eyed, to the confrontation between Edward and his father. Now they looked at one another and shook their heads. This was not good. This was not good at all.

* * *

The next day, Jasper sat next to Edward at a study table in the library. Without even saying hello, he started right in with the question on his mind, not to mention them minds of everyone on the team. "What spell has this elevated-IQ temptress-girl cast that suddenly makes you want to be in a musical?" he asked.

"I just…did it," Edward sighed. "Who cares?"

"Who cares?" Jasper looked injured. "How about your most loyal best friend?"

The librarian glared at him. "Quiet in here, Mr. Whitlock."

Jasper pointed at Edward. "It's him, Mrs. Cope, not me." Jasper turned back to Edward, his voice more urgent now. "You're a hoops dude, not a musical-singer person. Have you ever seen Michael Crawford on a cereal box?"

"Who is Michael Crawford?" Edward asked.

"Exactly my point," Jasper said, vindicated. "He was the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. My mom saw that musical twenty-seven times and put Michael Crawford's picture in our refrigerator. Not on it, in it. Play basketball, you end up on a cereal box. Sing in musicals, you end up inside my mom's refrigerator."

Edward frowned, trying to follow this logic. "Why did she put his picture in her refrigerator?"

"One of her crazy diet ideas," he said dismissively. "I do not attempt to understand the female mind, Eddie. That's frightening territory." He looked up to see the librarian heading in their direction. He leaned over and whispered, "How can you expect the rest of us to be focused on the game if you're off somewhere in leotards singing in _Twinkle Towne_?"

"No one said anything about leotards…" Edward sounded a little worried.

Jasper seized his advantage. "Maybe not yet, my friend, but just you wait. We need you, Captain. Big-time."

Oops. The librarian was looming over them. "Mr. Whitlock!"

Jasper pointed to Edward again. "I tried to tell him, Mrs. Cope!" he said, the picture of innocence. To further the illusion, he turned to Edward and added, "I really tried!" Then he crept away, followed by the librarian's accusing glare. Edward sat very still, thinking hard about what Jasper had said.

Inside the chemistry lab, Alice and the other members of the Scholastic Club were hard at work, when Jasper, Jacob, and Emmett entered. Jasper walked up to Alice and said, "We need to talk."

The two groups were deep in conversation when Rosalie and Barrett passed the open door of the chemistry lab. They stopped to look and listen.

"Something isn't right," Rosalie said.

Barrett nodded. "They must be trying to figure out a way for Edward and Bella to actually beat us out. The jocks rule most of the school, but if they Edward into the musical, then they've conquered the entire student body."

"And if those science girls get Bella hooked up with Edward Masen, the Scholastic Club goes from drool to cool," Rosalie gasped. Her eyes narrowed. "Barrett, we need to save our show from people who don't know the difference between a Tony Award and Tony Hawk."

Back in the chemistry lab, Jasper had finished making his pitch to Alice and her team.

"You really think that's going to work?" Alice asked. The other members of the Scholastic Club looked equally dubious.

"It's the only way to save Edward and Bella from themselves," Jasper said with certainty.

Alice looked at her team for their input. After a brief pause, they all nodded. After all, they needed Bella as much as the basketball team needed Edward.

"We start tomorrow," Jasper said, satisfied.


	8. Lunkhead Baskeball Man

**Not mine, but I wish it were. Maybe I'll get it for my birthday. Eh, a girl can wish.**

* * *

The next morning, as students poured into the school, Jasper looked around secretively, as if on a spy mission. He spotted Alice across the courtyard and gave a quick nod, in the best secret agent style. She rolled her eyes at his theatrics and met him in a corner. "My watch says seven forty-five, pacific standard time," he said in a hushed tone. "Are we synched?"

Alice never wore a watch. She had an infallible inner clock. "Whatever."

"Then we are on go mode for lunch period?" Jasper asked. "Exactly 12:05?"

She nodded and handed him a small laptop with a video lens attached. "Yes, Jasper," she said. "We're a go. But we're not Charlie's Angels, okay?"

He grinned. "I can dream, can't I?"

And they were off

At exactly 12:05, the lunch bell rang. Dozens of students headed to the cafeteria for lunch, but Edward headed for the locker room. He arrived to find his whole team waiting for him. As he stepped in the room, Jake closed the door behind him and stood in front of it, blocking it with his body.

Jasper stood in the center of the room next to a table covered with trophies and photos. He picked up one of the photos and held it up for Edward to see. "'Spider' Bill Natrine, class of '99," Jasper said. "MVP, league championship game."

He pointed to a trophy from that game.

Emmett held up the next photo. "Sam Netletter, class of '02," he said. "Known far and wide as 'Sammy Slamma-Jamma.' Captain, MVP, league championship team." He pointed to that trophy as Jake picked up the next photo.

"'Thunderclap' Hap Haddon, '95," Jake said and pointed to the relevant trophy. "Led the Spartans to back-to-back state championships. A legend."

"Yes, legends, one and all," Jasper said, underlining the theme. "And do you think any of these Spartan legends became legends by getting involved in musical auditions, just days before the league championship playoffs?"

The team stared intently at Edward and chanted in unison, "Getcha head in the game!"

"These Spartan legends became legends because they never took their eyes off the prize," Jasper said. He was on a roll.

The team chanted again. "Getcha head in the game!"

Jasper turned to the team and asked, "Now, who was the first sophomore ever to make starting varsity?"

The team smiled as one. "Edward!" they yelled.

Jasper nodded. "So who voted him our team captain for this year?"

"Us!" the team yelled.

"And who is going to get their sorry asses kicked in Friday's championship game if Edward is worried about an audition?" Jasper asked.

"We are," the team said together, depressed.

"Hey, there are twelve of us on this team," Edward protested. "Not just me."

Jasper raised one eyebrow. "Just twelve? I think you're forgetting a very important thirteenth member of our team-" He pulled out another photo.

It was a black-and-white photo of a kid in a basketball uniform. From the style of the uniform, and the style of the hair, it was clear this photo was old school.

Edward took a good look. His jaw dropped. "That's my dad…" he whispered.

Jasper propped the photo against an old trophy. "Yes, Edward, Spartan basketball champion, class of 1983. Champion…father – and now coach. A winning tradition like no other."

Edward looked around at his team. What was going on? He felt as if his team was trying to deprogram him or something.

Meanwhile, Bella and the rest of the Scholastic Club had gathered in the chemistry lab with brown-bag lunches. Alice was pointing to a series of photos and sketches on the dry-erase board. They showed the process of evolution, Alice style.

She lectured, "From lowly Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon, to early warriors, medieval knights…all leading to…" She unscrolled the piece de resistance, a full-length photo of an NBA player's body, with Edward's head super-imposed on it. "…lunkhead basketball man! Yes, our culture worshipped the aggressor throughout the ages, and we end up with spoiled, overpaid, bonehead athletes who contribute little to civilization other than slam dunks and touchdowns. That is the inevitable world of Edward Masen."

Bella smiled, not knowing what was coming.

Alice went to another wall, saying, "But the path of the mind, the path we are on…ours is the path that has brought the world these people-"

She pointed to photos as she called out each name. "Eleanor Roosevelt…Frida Kahlo…Sandra Day O'Connor…Madame Curie…Jane Goodall…Oprah Winfrey, and so many others who the world reveres."

Bella nodded. There was no doubt those were admirable people. "But…what has this…I've got Nessie waiting for me to rehearse…."

"Isabella, Edward Masen represents on side of evolution…lunkhead basketball man," Alice explained patiently. "And our side, the side of education and accomplishment, is the future of civilization. That's the side where you belong."

In the locker room, Edward was doing his best to defend himself to his team. "If you guys don't know that I'll put one hundred and ten percent of my guts into that game, then you don't know me."

"Well, we just thought-" Jasper began.

"I'll tell you what I thought," Edward said. "I thought you were my friends, win together, lose together…teammates."

Jasper tried to explain their side of the story. "But suddenly the girl and the singing-" He was standing next to Alice's laptop with the video-link camera.

Edward sighed, tired of discussing this and tired of defending himself. "I'm for the team, I've always been for the team. She's just someone I met…"

Edward didn't know it, but the laptop camera was transmitting the live feed of everything he was saying to the chemistry lab…

…where Bella, Alice, and the rest of the Scholastic Club watched what Edward was saying.

"…The singing thing is nothing, probably just a way to keep my nerves down, it doesn't mean anything to me," Edward was saying. "You're my guys and this is our team…Bella's not important. I'll forget the audition, forget her, and we'll go get that championship. Everyone happy now?"

Alice froze the image on the screen. "Behold," she said. "Lunkhead basketball man. So, Bella…we'd love to have you for the Scholastic Decathlon."

Bella stared at the screen, crushed by what Edward said. They had shared so much, surely it had meant _something_ to him?

The other girls awkwardly shuffled toward the door. No one looked at Bella. On her way out, Alice said, "Do you want to grab some lunch?"

Bella shook her head. She just wanted to be alone.

Alice nodded and left.

Just then, Bella heard noise from the quad below. She went to the window and looked out in time to see an impromptu pep rally. The basketball team was swarming around Edward, trying to pump him up for the big game.

Bella felt so sad, so alone. And, just as she had been doing since New Year's Eve, she started to express herself in song:

_"It's funny when you find yourself_

_ Looking from the outside_

_ I'm standing here_

_ But all I want it to be over there_

_ Why did I let myself believe_

_ Miracles could happen_

_ 'Cause now I have to pretend_

_ That I don't really care"_

She left the chemistry lab. The halls of Forks High were filled with trophy cases, banners, and murals. All she wanted was to get away from Spartan spirit, and it was impossible.

She finally got to her locker. As she began putting books into it, Edward came up behind her, filled with energy and high spirits from the pep rally.

"Hey, how ya doin'?" he called.

She didn't look at him.

"Listen, there's something I need to talk to you about, okay?" he went on.

"And here it is," she interrupted him. "I know what it's like to carry the load with friends. I get it. You've got your boys, Edward. It's okay. So we're good."

"Good about what?" he asked, puzzled. "I need to talk to you about the callbacks."

She tried to smile. It was better if she ended this now, rather than let him do it. She could act like it was all her own idea. At least, she thought, I'll still have my pride…

"I don't want to do the callbacks, either," she said quickly. "Who were we kidding? You've got your team, and now I've got my team. I'll do the Scholastic Decathlon; you win your championship. It's where we belong." She smiled bravely. "Go, Spartans."

Now Edward was the one who was bewildered and hurt. "But I don't-"

Bella didn't let him finish. "Me either," she said firmly. She pulled the sheet music from her locker, handed it to him, and walked away.

"Bella!" Edward called.

She didn't respond. The bell rang, signaling the start of the next class.

Edward stared after her, stunned and hurt.

Over the next few days, Bella and Edward became more and more depressed. Bella thought Edward had dumped her. Edward thought Bella had dumped him. And, even though their friends tried to cheer them up, nothing worked.

One day, during PE, Jasper, Jake, Emmett, and some other students were goofing around on the outside basketball court. They were passing a ball in a circle, fast and slick, just like the Harlem Globetrotters. Laughing, they waved at Edward, inviting him to join them.

But Edward ignored them and headed over to the track for a jog instead, moving steadily away from his friends.

That evening, Edward shot baskets alone in his backyard. He missed a few baskets and slammed the ball down in frustration. His father watched from an upstairs window, worried. He knew something was wrong. He also knew it wasn't the right time to try to find out what it was.

At the Swan house, Bella was sitting by her bedroom window. She was surrounded by her books, but she wasn't reading. Instead, she was gazing out the window at the stars and trying not to cry.

Her mother opened the door, holding a portable phone. She held it out to Bella, indicating that the call was for her. Bella just shook her head.

The next day, Bella and Edward happened to pass each other in the cafeteria. They glanced at each other, then away…then defused the awkward moment by moving on without saying a word.

Jasper and Alice saw the exchange from opposite ends of the room. They looked at each other and nodded. They'd seen enough. They could see the effect of what they'd done, and they knew that they'd screwed up, big-time.

Now they had to try to fix it…

Edward was sitting by himself in the rooftop garden, glumly eating a sandwich. The door opened and Jasper, Jake, and Emmett appeared.

"We just had another team meeting, Edward," Jasper said.

"Wonderful," Edward answered. He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Jasper swallowed hard. "We had a meeting about how we haven't been acting like a team. Us, not you. The singing thing-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Edward said shortly.

"We just want you to know that we're going to be there cheering for you," Jasper finished.

Edward looked up, surprised. "Huh?"

Emmett nodded furiously. "Yeah, Cap, if singing is something you want to do, we should be boosting you up, not tearing you down."

"Win or lose, we're teammates," Jasper added. "That's what we're about. Even if you turn out to be the worst singer in the world-"

" – which we don't know, because we haven't actually heard you sing," Jake pointed out.

Edward sighed. It was great to finally have the support of his buddies, but it didn't mean anything anymore. "And you're not gonna hear me sing, dudes, because Bella won't even talk to me, and I don't know why."

Jasper and the boys exchanged uneasy glances. "We do," Jasper finally said.

Emmett pulled a bag of cookies from his backpack and offered them to Edward. "Baked these fresh today. Want to try one before we tell you the rest?"

Inside the chemistry lab, Bella was surrounded by Alice and the Scholastic Club. "We're worse than jerks," Alice was saying earnestly, "because we're mean jerks. We thought Edward Masen and the singing thing was killing our chances to have you on our Scholastic Decathlon team."

"Why talk about it?" Bella said curtly. "I heard what he had to say. I'm on your team now. Done."

"No," Alice sighed. "Not done." She hesitated, then admitted, "Jasper knew he could get Edward to say things that would make you want to forget about the callbacks. We planned it. And we're embarrassed and sorry."

Bella absorbed the shock of that, but she said, "No one forced Edward to say anything." She took a deep breath and went on bravely. "And you know what? It's okay. We should prepare for the decathlon now. So it's time to move on."

Alice shook her head. She couldn't let this defeatist attitude go unchallenged. "No, it's not," she said in ringing tones. "The Scholastic Decathlon is…whatever. How you feel about us, and Edward, that's something else."

**outfits for chapters should be on profile**

~BloodyLullaby95


	9. I Think It's Two Rats

**Not mine, sadly.**

* * *

That evening, Mrs. Swan opened the front door to find Edward Masen standing on her doorstep. "Mrs. Swan, I'm Edward Masen," he said politely.

Her eyes widened a little bit. So this was the Edward she had heard about from Bella! She smiled. "Oh…Edward…" She glanced over her shoulder. Bella was standing on the stairs, just out of Edward's line of sight. She shook her head adamantly. Mrs. Swan raised one eyebrow, but she got the message. She turned back to Edward and said, "Well, Bella is a little busy with homework and such, so now's not really a good time…."

"I made a mistake, Mrs. Swan, and I need to let Bella know that," he said in a rush. "Could you tell her that I came by to see her?"

Edward Masen, she thought. He certainly seems like a nice boy….

As Edward left, he crossed the lawn and glanced up. He saw a light go on at the far end of the second story. There was a small balcony outside the window. Suddenly inspired, Edward took out his phone and dialed Bella's number.

In her room, Bella saw Edward's photo come up on her cell phone screen. After a long moment, she answered.

As soon as he heard her voice, Edward said in a rush, "What you heard the other day…none of that is true. I was sick of my friends riding me about singing with you, and I said things I knew would shut them up. I didn't mean any of it."

"You sounded pretty convincing to me," she said coolly.

Edward looked up. He could see Bella walking around in her room, then he looked at a nearby tree. Then he started climbing.

As he climbed, he continued to talk into the phone. "They guy you met on vacation is way more me than the guy who said those stupid things."

"Edward, the whole singing thing is making the school whack," Bella sighed. "You said it yourself, everyone is treating you different because of it."

Edward grabbed a branch and pulled himself a few feet higher. "Maybe that's because I don't want only to be the basketball guy anymore," he argued. "They can't handle it. That's not my problem, it's theirs."

He pulled himself up onto the balcony. Bella was only a few feet away, but her back was to him. She didn't know he was there.

She said, "But your dad-"

"This isn't about my dad," he said, still talking into the phone. "This is about how I feel. And I'm not letting the team down….They let me down. I'm going to sing. What about you?"

"I don't know, Edward."

"You need to say yes," he said. "Because I brought something for you."

Bella looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Edward lowered his phone an began to sing to her, directly, sweetly, honestly.

_"Start of something new_

_It feels so right_

_To be here with you…oh_

_And now…lookin' in your eyes_

_I feel in my heart_

_The start of something new"_

Bella turned around to see Edward standing on the balcony outside her room. "It's a pairs audition," he reminded her. Then he handed her the sheet music she had given back to him. After a long shared look, Bella began to smile.

The next few days were a whirlwind of activity for both of them. Edward led basketball practices with energy and authority, back on top of his game. Bella ran through formulas with the Scholastic Club, m ore focused and impressive than they had ever seen her. Then they would run out of their separate practices, meet in the hall, and dash for the rehearsal room to rehearse with Nessie.

One day, Rosalie and Barrett came out of their own rehearsal and heard Bella and Edward singing. "Wow, they sound great," Barrett said.

Rosalie turned on him. "We have to do something. Our callback is on Thursday, the basketball game and Scholastic Decathlon are on Friday." She stopped. An idea, a good idea, probably a great idea, was forming. "Too bad all of these events aren't happening on the same day at the same time.

"Well, that wouldn't work," Barrett said with his usual naivety, "because then Edward and Bella couldn't make the callback." Rosalie gave him a look and waited for the implications to sink into her brother's dim brain. Finally, his face lit up and he said, "I'm proud to call you my sister."

Later, Rosalie and Barrett cornered Ms. Barfield and spent some minutes talking earnestly to her. Finally, Ms. Barfield said, "So if you're telling me, as copresidents of the Drama Club, that changing the callbacks is what's best for our theater program…I might actually agree with you."

She walked away. Barrett scratched his head. "Was that a yes?" he asked his sister.

She gave him a wink that said, "Mission accomplished."

What they didn't notice, because they never notice Nessie, was that the shy young composer was standing nearby and had witnessed the entire thing. Including the wink.

The next morning, Edward and Bella got to school early so they could meet Nessie and work in a little more rehearsal time. They found her standing in front of the bulletin board, her face ashen. The sign on the board said: MUSICAL AUDITIONS RESCHEDULED TO FRIDAY 3:30 P.M. Edward and Bella stared glumly at those fatal words.

"Same time as the game-" Edward said.

"And the Scholastic Decathlon-" Bella added.

Jasper and Alice, accompanied, as always, by the basketball team and the Scholastic Club, gathered behind Edward and Bella.

"Well, I just don't know why they would do that," Alice said, honestly puzzled.

"I smell a rat named Barfield," Jasper said darkly.

"Actually, I think it's two rats, neither of them named Barfield," Nessie said.

Everyone turned to see who had spoken. It took a minute, the petite Nessie was almost lost among all the basketball players who towered over her.

"Do you know something about this, small person?" Jasper asked.

Nessie nodded. "Ms. Barfield might think she's protecting the show, but Barrett and Rosalie are pretty much only concerned with protecting themselves."

Jasper's face tightened with anger. "Do you know what I'm going to do to those two over-moussed show dogs-"

"Nothing," Edward said quickly, taking command. "We're not going to do anything to them." He grinned. "Except sing, maybe." Edward looked at each member of the basketball team and Scholastic Club. "This is only going to happen if we all work together," he said. "Who's in?" Bella raised her hand immediately without any thought. The teams eyeballed each other. Then Jasper held up his hand. Alice high-fived it. Everyone broke out into grins. They were in.

* * *

On the day of the callback auditions, basketball championship game, and Scholastic Decathlon showdown, emotions were running high.

To demonstrate their newfound sense of solidarity, Jasper and the basketball boys presented Alice and Bella with a cake that Emmett had baked. The icing read: "Scholastic Decathlon Today – Support Brain Fame!"

In return, Alice and Bella handed Edward and Jasper a banner that read: "Go Spartan Hoopsters!"

Ms. Barfield watched them sardonically. How lovely, she thought. The basketball boys and the brainiac girls are making nice…. Then Jasper and the boys walked up to Rosalie and Barrett and zipped open their jackets. Each one had a letter on his T-shirt, spelling out the message: "Go, Drama Club!"

Jasper gave Rosalie a huge smile.

Ms. Barfield looked around at the banner, the cake, the boys with letter T-shirts, and smiled in spite of herself. "Well, it seems we Spartans are in for an interesting afternoon," she said dryly. But her eyes were twinkling.


	10. Like Kindergarten

**All goes to Ms. Meyer and Disney.**

This is the last chapter. The sequel should be up tomorrow, maybe even today.

* * *

At three o'clock, the halls of Forks High were empty. Quiet filled the school. There was a sense of anticipation-

-and then the bell rang!

Doors burst open and students rushed into the halls. The school was buzzing with excitement!

In the gym, the stands were full of spectators, cheering and clapping. The school band was playing, the cheerleaders were dancing up a storm, banners were waving in the air…. It was time to decide who were the champions, once and for all!

In the locker room, Edward sat alone on a bench. The rest of the team had run onto the court. He could hear the crowd being whipped into a frenzy. All those hours of practice, all those drills, all that training…it all came down to this night.

His dad came into the room. "How're you feeling?"

"Nervous." Edward had to be honest.

"Me, too." His dad smiled. "Wish I could suit up and play alongside you."

Edward grinned slightly. "Hey, you had your turn."

His father looked at him seriously. "Do you know what I want from you today?"

Edward nodded. His dad didn't have to tell him. "A championship."

His dad looked Edward straight in the eyes. "That'll happen or it won't," he said gently. "What I want is for you to have fun. I know about all the pressure, and probably too much of it came from me. All I really want is to watch my son having the time of his life, playing the game we both love. Give me that, and I'll sleep with a smile tonight, no matter how the score comes out."

Edward looked at his father. A strange feeling of relief spread through him. "Thanks, coa-" He corrected himself. "-Dad."

His father smiled at him and walked away.

Blackboards had been set up on each side of the choir room – the first round of the Scholastic Decathlon was about to begin. The walls were lined with tables where contestants could conduct experiments. A few dozen chairs had been set out for judges and spectators. As the clock ticked down, each team gathered for a final briefing.

In the theater, Nessie played random tunes on the piano as a few spectators wandered into the large auditorium. Barrett and Rosalie did bizarre actor-prep exercises backstage: opening their mouths wide, uttering weird vocalizations, and falling back into each other's arms to demonstrate their absolute trust in each other.

In the choir room, the decathlon teams, all wearing lab coats, faced off for the opening bell.

Bella stood at the blackboard, poised to begin. The moderator signaled "go," and she and the star of the competing team began scribbling formulas as fast as they could.

In the theater, Ms. Barfield was making yet another speech. "Casting the leads of a show is both a challenge and a responsibility, a joy and a burden," she said. "I commend you, and all young artists who hold out for the moon, the sun, and the stars-"

The five kids sitting in the auditorium just stared at her. They didn't have a clue about what she meant. Ms. Barfield sighed, and tried to end on a grand note. "So…shall we soar together?" She checked her clipboard, just for form's sake, and called out, "Barrett and Rosalie?"

The brother-and-sister team made a grand entrance as their recorded music started. From the very first note, it was clear that this was a two-person musical, with light cues and choreography and moves that would put most Broadway dancers to shame.

As they started singing the chorus, Rosalie and Barrett moved into all-out choreography, with kicks, spins, turns, and leaps.

Meanwhile, in the gym, the two teams who would be battling for the championship finally faced each other in center court. This was it – all the training, all the practice drills, all the pep talks led up to this…very…moment….

The ref threw the ball for the opening tip-off, and the game began. From the very first seconds, the crowd was going crazy.

Even in the choir room, the Scholastic Decathlon team could hear the crowd noise. Everyone except Bella, that is. She was standing at the board, totally focused on what she had to do. As the timer ticked down, she and her opponent wrote formulas as quickly as possible.

Just one last number and she finished seconds ahead of her opponent and slammed the timer button, stopping the clock.

The moderator quickly checked her answer, then nodded. Points to the Spartan Scholastic team! As everyone cheered Bella, whose face was flushed with victory, Alice peeked at the clock. It was 3:35 P.M.

She quickly moved over to her laptop and punched in a code, murmuring to herself, "All right, Spartans, time for an orderly exit from the gym…."

Immediately, the words "message transmitted" appeared on the screen. In the gym's utility room, a small wireless router had been patched into the electronic grid. Within seconds, the router started blinking…the mission had begun.

Suddenly, the electronic scoreboard blinked and random numbers began appearing where the score had been. The message board began flashing. The gym lights pulsed on and off.

The players stopped in midgame, baffled as to what was going on.

Principal Green didn't know what was happening either, but he did know school policy. He quickly took the mike and said, "Well, we seem to have a little electronic gremlin here. I'm sure we'll figure this out. In the meantime, per safety regulations, we all need to make an orderly exit from the gym-"

As the gym slowly emptied, Jasper grinned a private grin. Phase one of the mission had been executed!

Back in the choir room, Alice quickly hit another key on her laptop. A beaker of blue liquid was sitting on a nearby hot plate, waiting for the experiment section of the competition. Alice's click turned on the hot plate, which heated the liquid, which began to gurgle, which created pressure that popped off the top of the beaker, which released an awesomely bad smell in the room.

Alice smiled in quiet satisfaction as she saw the first moderator, then the spectators, begin to react to the smell. Within seconds, everyone had rushed out of the room. Alice nodded. Phase two had just been completed.

In the theater, Rosalie and Barrett were blissfully unaware of the other dramas that were taking place in the school. They ended their song with just as much energy as when they had started. They knew that had done phenomenally well, and they took extravagant bows.

"Do you see why we love the theater, people?" Ms. Barfield said, almost overcome with pride and joy in her star pupils. "Well done."

She made a quick check of her list and then asked, in an offhand voice, "Edward Masen and Isabella Swan?" She looked around. "Edward…Isabella?"

But there was no sign of them.

Nessie looked around nervously. "They'll be here!"

Ms. Barfield shook her head with little regret. "The theater, as I have often pointed out, waits for no one. I'm sorry."

Nessie gave one more despairing glance at the door, but there was still no sign of her friends. She sank back onto the piano bench, crushed.

"Okay, we're done here," Ms. Barfield said briskly, drawing a line through Edward and Bella's names. "Congratulations to all. The cast will be posted."

Slowly, Nessie picked up her music folder and left the stage, totally dejected.

Then Edward and Bella came dashing in from opposite sides of the theater.

"Ms. Barfield! We're here!" Edward yelled.

"I called your names," Ms. Barfield said sternly. "Twice."

"Please." Bella couldn't believe it. After all their work, all their planning…

The drama teacher was firm. "Rules are rules."

But as she turned to go, she saw that something different, unexpected, in fact, altogether astounding was happening. The theater was starting to fill with people: students and spectators from the basketball game and Scholastic Decathlon; all the members of the basketball team, led by Jasper; all the members of the Scholastic Club, led by Alice…they were all coming to watch the auditions!

Rosalie and Barrett watched the gathering crowd, confused. This wasn't part of their plan. Still, the theater is all about dealing with the unexpected, so Rosalie quickly said, "We'll be happy to do our number again for our fellow students, Ms. Barfield."

The teacher shook her head, still watching with amazement as the theater filled to capacity. "I don't know what's going on here. But, in any event, it's far too late, and we don't have a pianist."

Barrett and Rosalie smiled, relieved. Barrett looked at Edward and shrugged. "Oh, well, that's showbiz," he said happily.

Desperate, Edward said, "We'll sing without a piano."

Then they heard a voice, previously a timid voice, now a surprisingly bold one, call out, "Oh, no, you won't!" Nessie charged onto the stage. "Pianist here, Ms. Barfield!"

Rosalie gave her a warning glance. "You really don't want to do that."

Nessie set her jaw. She had had enough of taking orders from egotistical drama queens. "Oh, yes, I really do!" She opened the piano lid with a flourish, slapped down her music, and took a seat. "Ready onstage!"

Ms. Barfield's eyes widened with delight. "Now that's showbiz!"

Edward and Bella picked up their microphones and turned to face the auditorium. It was packed with people, all waiting to hear them sing. As Bella looked out at all those eager faces, she felt her face turn red. Then her knees got weak, and her stomach flipped over, and she thought she might faint.

Their first audition had been for Ms. Barfield, and they hadn't even known she was listening! Now she had to face this huge crowd.

Nessie hit a piano key, waiting for Edward and Bella's nod that they were ready to begin. No one nodded. Bella was standing absolutely still, as if she were frozen. Nessie started to play, hoping that the music would help relax Bella and that she would start singing. But Bella couldn't even open her mouth. Nessie stopped playing and looked at Edward. What should I do? He nodded to her to start again. And then he began to sing, directly to Bella.

_"We're soarin', flyin'_

_There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach_

_If we're tryin', yeah we're breaking free"_

When it was Bella's turn, she covered her mike and said, "I can't do it, Edward. Not with all these people staring at me."

Edward glanced at the crowd. People were starting to look confused. They were murmuring to each other, "What's wrong? Is she all right?"

He turned back to Bella and whispered, "Look at me. Right at me. Like the first time we sang together, like kindergarten, remember?"

She did. And when she looked into Edward's eyes, he looked back the same way he did at the karaoke contest. The spark of magic flared up again, but brighter and stronger. Bella could feel herself relax. She could feel herself smile….

Edward made a signal to Nessie, and she started playing again. Edward sang, heartfelt:

_"You know the world can see us_

_In a way that's different_

_Than who we are"_

Bella smiled even wider and sang the next two lines:

_"Creating space between us_

_'Til we're separate hearts"_

Then they sang together, in perfect harmony:

_"But your faith_

_It gives me strength, strength to believe…"_

As they continued, their confidence, and their trust in each other grew. They began to sing as though they were the only ones in the room.

Everyone in the auditorium was transfixed by the powerful, real emotion that Edward and Bella were expressing through the song. Coach Masen wandered into the auditorium, wondering impatiently when the electronic malfunction would be fixed and the game would resume. He looked at the stage, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing! His son was singing, in public, and he was really, really good!

Throughout the theater, the music was casting its spell. The brainiac girls glanced at the basketball boys, and the two groups exchanged friendly smiles. The skater dudes nodded to the drama kids, hey, if this is musical theater, it's cool, man. All the different groups, usually separate, were united as they watched a completely unlikely pair –Edward dressed in basketball warm-ups and Bella wearing a lab coat – sing to each other with genuine emotion.

As the song ended, Edward and Bella gazed into each other's eyes. For one long moment, there was total silence. Then Nessie stood up and began applauding. So did Coach Masen. Ms. Barfield called out "Bravo!" and "Brava!" over and over again. And then the entire crowd was on their feet, roaring their approval.

Even Barrett and Rosalie started applauding, then they caught themselves and quickly stopped.

Before the applause ended, Edward and Bella gave each other a hug, and Edward surprised her with a kiss on the cheek, and rushed off. After all, they had some unfinished business to attend to….

It was the last few seconds of the championship game. The Spartans were behind. The clock was ticking down. Then Edward suddenly flew across the court, weaving between opponents, heading for the goal. Just as he had practice, he faked right, went left, shot the ball, and…NOTHING BUT NET! The buzzer sounded and it was a one-point Spartan victory!

In the melee that followed, Coach Masen found his son and gave him a huge hug.

Ms. Barfield fought her way through the crowd. As she approached the coach, the old adversaries eyed each other for a moment…then they grinned and gave each other a high five.

As Bella got close to Edward, he called out, "What about your team?"

"We won, too," she said, exited and happy. They hugged each other in congratulations, but just as Edward was going to in to kiss her, Jasper's arm reached in between their faces holding a basketball.

He handed the ball to Edward. "Team voted you the game ball, Captain," he said. They high-fived each other, then he turned to Alice. "So…you're going with me to the after-party, right?"

"Like on a date?" Alice asked, shocked.

"Must be your lucky day." Jasper grinned.

She laughed, and nodded. A week ago, she would have disagreed, but now…maybe Jasper was right. Maybe it was her lucky day.

As Bella walked out of the gym, still beaming, Rosalie came up to her. "Well, congratulations," Rosalie said. "I guess I'm going to be the understudy in case you can't make one of the shows, so…break a leg."

Bella looked at her, startled.

Rosalie smiled, a real smile this time, and explained, "In theater, that means good luck."

And now Bella smiled a real smile, too.

As she moved on, Emmett saw his chance and moved in on Rosalie. "Sorry you didn't get the lead, Rosalie," he said. "But you're still really, really good. I admire you so much."

"And why wouldn't you?" asked Rosalie, who hadn't changed into a completely different person, after all. "Now bye-bye."

He shyly held out a bag of cookies. "I baked these for you…." She took them away as if they were her due, and he walked away.

Edward found Nessie in the crowd and handed her the basketball. "Composer, here's our game ball. You deserve it…playmaker." Nessie nearly fainted. She was being handed the game ball by Edward Masen! She got dizzy, just thinking about how much her life had changed in one short week. Dizzy and very, very happy. She broke into a huge grin and threw the ball in the air.

And when it came down, Forks High School was a different place. It was a place where punk kids could talk to brainiacs, jocks could hang out with drama kids. It was a place where everybody could follow the beat of their own drummer, and other people would cheer them on. In other words, it was a place where people could have fun…together.

After the huge celebration ended, people were still milling around, laughing, talking, and getting to know people they had never even noticed before.

That's when Rosalie came flying into the crowd, pushing people out of the way to get to Emmett. "Your cookies are genius!" she yelled. "The best things I've ever tasted. Will you make some more for me, Emmett?"

Emmett grinned. Of course he would bake for her! In fact…he waggled his eyebrows and said slyly, "I might even make you a crème brulee."


End file.
